Base for stand-type appliances



Dec. 10, 1940. R. J. LEHENY 2,224,266

BASE FOR STAND-TYPE APPLIANCES Filed Sept. 19, 1959 Zia-jam Jle epL Patented Dec. 10, 1940- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BASE FORVSTAND-TYPVE APPLIANCES Richard J Leheny, Danbury, Conn. I Application September 19, 1939, Serial No. 295,690 3 Claims. (01. 248-194) This invention relates to improvements in bases for stand-type appliances and, with regard to its more specific aspects, to bases for floor lamps, ash stands, cabinets, and like appliances of the char- 'acter employing a standard or upright adapted to be supported from the floor in substantially vertical position.

As conducive to a clear understanding of my invention, it may be stated that floor lamps, ash stands, stand-type cabinets, and like appliances, have a pronounced tendency to tip and fall over when their center of balance is disturbed, due to the fact that many of such appliances are inherently top heavy and, further, because it is impossible or impractical to provide a base of sufficient floor-engaging area and/or sufficient weight as to maintain the appliances in question in their intended upright position under all conditions of usage.

As floor lamps, ash stands, and like appliances must be of portable construction, obviously it is not practical or feasible to secure fixedly such appliances to the floor as such would defeat the requirements of portability; While some attempts have been directed toward the solution of the problem as in the case of ash receptacles secured to chair arms or chair seats, such have not met with popular favor as the securing means'deself or of the chair or like piece of furniture to which it is secured.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved base for stand-type appliances such as floor lamps, ash stands, and the like, which functions to prevent tipping and overturning of the appliance with which it is used, but which at the same time preserves the required property of portability of the appliance. A further object is to provide a base for stand type appliances which may be detachably clamped against the floor on which such appliances" are usually supported. A further object is to provide a base for stand appliances which may be held in simple and effective manner against accidental or unintentional movement upon its proper association with a relatively heavy object such as a chair, table, desk, or like piece of furniture. A still further object is to provide a base for stand-type 50 appliances which is provided with an extension adapted to be removably positioned beneath the leg of a chair or like piece of furniture and which is accordingly clamped against the fioorby the weight of the furniture without in any way in-. 55 terfering with the normal positioning or usage of tracts from the appearance of the appliance it'- with a chair of conventional construction, the'li] ash stand having a base which is clamped to the floor in accordance with my present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the appliance base shown in Fig. l, the upright being broken away; Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are illustrative of other forms 15 of appliance bases in accordance with my present invention, such as might be fabricated from ornamental wire;

Fig. 6 is illustrative ofa further modification of an appliance base in accordance with the present invention, the base being of cast construction;

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail illustrating a further modified construction.

Referring to the drawing wherein like reference 25 characters designate like parts throughout the several views, Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate one form of an appliance base in accordance with the present invention such as is suitable for an ash stand. Such a stand may be constituted by the base generally indicated In, an upright II, and an ash collecting or receiving top [2, of which the base l0 and the upright may be of ornamental wrought-iron construction.

Referring to the base Ill, this in themodificaother side of the axis of upright H and provide with therim IS a bracing effect which imparts a high degree of stability to the base proper.

The rim l6 fixedly supports an upwardly concaved leg-clamping plate or disc, such as a saucerlike disc 20, which may be integral with the rim or which may be associated therewith in numerous ways as by crimping or. bending its peripheral edge over and under the rim, by spot-welding and the like. The concaved element 20 may be shaped and/or formed from metal, suitable plastic compositions and the like, and its central portion is made sufficiently thin that it will not increase materially the spacing between the floor and the leg of a table, chair, or the like, to be supported thereon. When formed of sheet material secured to or over the upper rim surface, said central portion is depressed from its outer rim portion so that it may lie in the bottom plane of the base proper and hence engage against the floor or like supporting surface.

As will be apparent from Fig. 1, the ash stand there illustrated is associated with a chair, by first raising the chair and moving the base beneath the chair so that, upon lowering, the leg thereof is received in the depression or concavity of the disc 20. In such .a position the ash stand proper is positioned sidewardly of the chair. When so positioned, the weight of the chair-securely yet removably clamps the base H] to the floor, such clamped relationship being of course augmented-by the weight of a personsitting in the chair who, after positioning the ashstand as aforesaid, is assured that the stand is held against tilting and over-turning.

By. reason'of the relative thinness of theleg receiving element 20 and the depression of the central portion thereof into engagement with the floor or supporting surface, the chair or equivalent piece of. furniture with which the base is associated may rest solidly on its four legs in conventional manner.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 5, I.have showntypical bases.

of ornamental wire construction, all of which incorporate a base extension for positioning be neath the leg of a chair, table or the like, as

previously described. Referring to Fig. 3, the base therein illustrated may be fabricated by bending a piece of ornamental wire intermediate its ends in such manner as to form clamping plate or disc-supporting means such as. the circular rim 25, the wire being thereupon formed as parallel portions 26a, 26b, from which extend inclined stretches 21a, 28b to provide wings or braces, whereby the base engages against the floor along three converging lines of contact. The wires may then be bent back on themselves, thence to extend in converging relation as at 28a, 281) until they meet at a point which is coincident with the axis of the upright. Said upright may be formed by twisting thewires as at 30, the upper end of the twisted upright carry- 7 ing an appliance such as an ash receptacle or the like.

Associated with the rim is a clamping plate or disc 32, preferably of thin sheet steel. The central portion 32a of the disc extends in the plane of the base proper and is adapted to engage against the floor or equivalent supporting surface. The peripheral portion 32b of the disc is beaded or rolled over the rim and is thereb securely associated therewith.

Referring to the Fig. 4 modification, the base therein shown is of ornamental wire construction in which a wire piece 35 is bent to substantially rectangular shape and arranged in a vertical plane, from the bottom side of which extend parallel strands 31a, 31?), which are spaced substantially the thickness of a wire, the parallel portions terminating in a rim on which is se cured a dish-shaped clamping disc .38 as described in connection with the Fig. 3 modification. A second wire 39' which may besecuredto the wire portions 31a, 3'") and/or. to the rim covered by the disc 38 extends rearwardly andis bent upwardly and thence forwardly to engage against the upper side of the wire frame 38 and is preferably secured thereto as by spot-welding.

An upright generally designated 40 is secured to the base at the junction of the upper side of frames 36 and 39, as by welding.

Considering now the Fig. 5 construction, the base of ornamental wire stock includes an extension rim as aforesaid on which is securely positioned the saucer-shaped clamping disc 42. From the rim portion the wire ends are bent to form parallel legs held in such relation as by an ornamental clip 43, the wire being thereafter bent to form a rectangular base portion 44 arranged in the horizontal plane, from which the wires extend upwardly as at 45a, 45b, to provide an upright, the wire portions being secured together in upright relation as by an ornamental clip- 46.-

In each of the Figs. 3, 4 and 5 modifications, the base is adapted to be supported on the floor or like. supporting surface,.with the base-extensions-constituted by the. discs- 32, 3.8. and 42 and their supporting rimsbeing adapted for positioning beneath the leg of a chair, table or the like, and being accordingly clamped against the. floor by theweight of, the piece of furniture. Hence the appliances with which such basesare, used are securely held. against over-turning, movement.

Referring to the Fig. dmodifi'cation, such i1- lustrates a cast base asmight be employed in astand lamp construction. This base may be cast.

in one piece to provide a supporting wing or brace 50, a central section 5! from which extends upwardly a cast bushing or connector 52, into which a lamp standard or like upright may be screwed or otherwise secured, and. aconcaved. clamping extension 53, the central portion 54' of which. is.

adapted to receive the leg of a chair,.table or like piece of furniture. It will be noted that the central portion 54 which is of castconstruction is somewhat thicker than the sheet-steel disc as illustrated'in the Figs. 3, 4 and 5 constructions. Such a base extension, however,- maybe substituted for the usual caster which generally is positioned intermediate the furniture leg and the floor.

As with the bases previously described, the base illustrated in Fig. 6; when associated with the leg of a chair or like piece of 'furniture infthe intended manner, is securely yet removably clamp ed against the floor or equivalent supporting surface- In Fig. 7 there is illustrated a modified form of securing'a sheet-steel disc to the rim of the base extension. In such modified construction the disc 60 is spot-welded along its peripheral edge to the rim 6| for facility in manufacture.

While the invention has been described above as a base for ash stands, it is to be understood that such is selected for convenience of descriptiononly. It is of course obvious that the base as described has wide application as a: base for stand-type appliancesgenerallyas might be used not only in the domestic fields but also in industrial fields; that the base is adapted to be clamped to the floor by any pieceof furniture of the character supported by legs and also by industrial appliances such as work tables and they like.

It is also to be understood that the bases as described in the foregoing are to be regarded as typical only of numerous forms of "bases which may incorporate the features of. the present invention;

Further, it is to be understood As many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. I

I claim:

1. A base for stand-type appliances of the type employing an upright member adapted to be maintained in a substantially vertical position, comprising a base structure including an extension portion lying in the general plane of said structure, said extension portion being upwardly concaved to provide a seat or rest for the leg of a chair or like piece of furniture adapted to be positioned thereon for clamping the base to the floor.

2. A base for stand-type appliances of the type 20 employing an upright member adapted to be maintained in a substantially vertical position, comprising a floor-engaging structure including a base proper and a portion extending laterally therefrom, said extending portion having an under floor-engaging surface and being upwardly concaved to provide a seat or rest for the leg of a chair or like piece of furniture adapted to be positioned thereon to prevent over-turning of the appliance.

3. A base for stand-type appliances of the type employing an upright member adapted to be maintained in a substantially vertical position, comprising a floor-engaging structure including a base proper and a portion extending therefrom in the form of a supporting rim, and a plate-like member fixedly carried by said rim and providing a seat or rest for the leg of a chair or like piece of furniture adapted to be positioned thereon to prevent over-turning of the appliance.

RICHARD J. 

